The Trial (2010) User Reviews

'Thank God I Was Spared'

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 14 January 2011]

If one sees The Trial on DVD or on a television broadcast, hasten to assure yourselves you will not be seeing the Orson Welles film The Trial or a remake thereof. If you see it stars Matthew Modine than make sure you catch it.

The film opens with Modine who has been unable to come to grips with the death of his wife and children ready to blow the top of his head off with a revolver. As he's ready to do the deed, a phone call comes.

It's from Judge Rance Howard who wants to get Modine back in the among the living and in the practice of his profession. He appoints him the defense attorney of young Randy Wayne who is accused of the murder of his sweetheart, the daughter of a prominent family in the area. He plied her with 'roofies' to loosen her inhibitions and he's taken them himself. When he came down he finds himself with her dead body and no memory of the crime at all.

He gets all his courtroom skills back, it's like riding a bicycle, once learned it all comes back. But this is a tough case and he needs the assistance of psychologist Claire Carey, research assistant Nikki Deloach and most of all Robert Forster his late wife's brother for some heavy muscle and a bit of detective work. The answer is quite a bit more involved than a case of 'roofies' gone bad.

Modine who also produced this gives a carefully delineated performance of a lawyer being brought back to life in his profession and every day living. In the end he has reason to thank the Deity for being spared in the tragedy that overtook his family.

The Trial has the look and feel of a television pilot and I'm sure Matthew Modine is trying to sell it to one of the networks. I do hope he succeeds.

Matthew Modine defends a man accused of murder

[blanche-2 · 5/10 · 18 December 2013]

Slow and not particularly well acted, "The Trial" stars Matthew Modine in what was possibly a TV pilot.

Modine, one of the producers of this drama, plays Mac, an attorney who has been unable to cope with the horrible deaths of his wife and sons in a car accident. He has not been practicing law and in fact, is about to blow his brains out when a call comes in from a judge (Rance Howard) who wants him to take a case. A young man has been accused of giving a woman drugs and then killing her.

Mac reluctantly takes this on, coming up against a prosecutor (Bob Gunton) who asks for the death penalty. Mac hires an investigator (Robert Forster) and a psychiatrist (Clare Carey) to see what they can find out about what happened and about the psychological makeup of the man himself.

Nothing original about this film or the story. Modine gives a nice performance, as does Forster, one of my favorite actors. The rest of the acting was not impressive, nor was the direction. It possibly had the makings of a TV series, though, with some better pacing and scripts.

Moderately good TV Murder Mystery...

[movie-viking · 6/10 · 18 August 2014]

A fairly good story...about a young man facing the death penalty for a murder he says he didn't commit.

"You have NO memory, NO alibi, and NO explanation..." says his defense lawyer.

The defense lawyer (Matthew Modine) lost his wife and two sons in a car accident a few years before...Movie opens on him...in his empty home...he's ready to pull the trigger and kill himself. Till the phone rings...and he's assigned this murder case.

The prosecutor is an older, experienced man who has previously beaten the defense lawyer...Prosecutor rigorously pursues the death penalty.

I do agree with one reviewer above...At some point, the dramatic tension DROPS because you learn too early...who the real villain is... and that the real villain will be exposed.

Is a moderately entertaining TV movie...and does bring up the fact that not only Rohipnol (the date rape drug) but a similar drug...can be used to knock a woman...or a man...out! (The date rape scenario is handled with minimum detail and no scenes in the movie show the crime. Suitable for grade school and above aged children.)

This review contains spoilers.You have read the warning twice and believe me there is nothing I can say that can spoil the movie anymore.

[chomastr · 1/10 · 27 July 2013]

I'm giving a review just to enlighten myself of the torture of having watched it.

Contrary to the name and use of courthouse terms, the movie has nothing to do with a trial.

I am not convinced if there even was a case in the first place. No context whatsoever. There is no weapon,no motive, no fingerprints nothing.

There is/was no evidence for the conviction/non-conviction of the accused and yet the jury comes up with a verdict.

There are a lot of unanswered questions in the movie and vice versa.

Please do something else that would be productive with your time.

Tedious!

[davyd-02237 · 6/10 · 8 July 2018]

Given the fact that this appeared on a Christian channel, our house expected this to have something ultimately it did not have. May I suggest, you do NOT waste your time. There isn't 1 redeeming feature within the 95 minutes of this film which is actually hugely disappointing and has little to do with Christianity. There are many many other things you can find to do in the 95 minutes this lasts which will be more beneficial than sitting through it. The ending, in my view, isn't really that believeable

Predictable and full of clichés

[section-one · 4/10 · 12 November 2010]

I went into this movie without knowing much about it besides it being about a criminal case that involves capital punishment. My expectations weren't really that high, I just wanted to be entertained for an hour and a half, unfortunately this movie did not cut it. If you've watched any other movie or TV show involving criminal cases or jury trials you can pretty much predict everything that is going to happen within the first 10 minutes of the movie and the cornier you guess the better. This movie hit every cliché there is at least twice. I guess you might have to give the actors some credit for keeping a straight face while saying their lines. The actors are pretty much the only reason I gave this 4 stars, the story itself deserves a 1, since a 0 doesn't exist. I certainly can't recommend this movie to anyone. If you think about going to see it I recommend you rent yourself a copy of any John Grisham movie or watch Law and Order Trial by Jury.

He had to be innocent

[georgegauthier · 6/10 · 12 November 2010]

You just knew the defendant just had to be innocent: a blond and blue eyed young man looking like the boy next door. I was struck by the contrast between the narrow squinty eyes of Matthew Modine as a world weary attorney and the young actor who played the defendant with eyes startlingly large and blue. He was the epitome of wide-eyed innocence. Surely such casting was not accidental.

I also liked the appearance of Robert Forster. He still needs a hair transplant, but he did a credible job as the investigator. I still remember him from the cult classic 'Alligator' which also featured Dean Jagger in one of his last roles. I hope they both knew this movie was a spoof.

No Suspense/Tension and too slow

[bob-rutzel-1 · 3/10 · 30 November 2010]

Retired lawyer Mac (Modine) receives a telephone call from a judge who wants him to defend Pete Thompson (Wayne) who was arrested for killing Angela, his girl friend, and he has no memory of what happened that fateful night.

This has all the feel of a made-for-TV movie, but very slow, perhaps too slow. We wait, too often, for characters to say their lines to a point we get tired of waiting and we scream out the lines we think are forthcoming. And, most times we are correct.

We understand about predictability, and we go along with it because we know that it's in the telling that the story works. But, here it was just too slow. Maybe that is why Mac's legal assistant, Mindy, goes somewhat overboard with her exuberance which was a complete contrast from everyone else. In other words she was too bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when that was not called for, but the director allowed it. I thought she was annoying because of it, but, maybe she knew this needed some life. She wasn't wrong. Some may think she was a breath of fresh air in here. Hmmm………….

The clues were good, but there was no suspense or tension, and for a courtroom drama that hurts big time. Some logic flew out the window at times. Can't mention what logic as that gives away too much. Sorry (but it had much to do with motive, shhhhhh………..). The audience was forgotten. You know, the more I think about it, maybe this wasn't good enough to be a made-for-TV movie. At least I see tension and suspense in many TV dramas. Here everything was monotone, low-key, level, bland. Well, except for Mindy, of course.

Violence: Yes, very little. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.

Predictable but nice anyway

[jonkman1234 · 7/10 · 19 March 2020]

Well played by the actors and not a very spectaculair movie but interesting and not a waste of time

Columbo this ain't.

[digdog-785-717538 · 4/10 · 15 November 2010]

Yet another courtroom drama. The problem with these kind of films is "how do you wrap it up", and The Trial doesn't escape from the same lame ending as many more films before it.

interesting up to a point, the first half of the film qualifies as a "very good, for-TV show", but thats about it. the current 5.8 IMDb vote pretty much sums it up, add the fact that the film itself is not really interesting, and you know you can do better with 90 minutes of your time.

A retiring lawyer whose son just died takes on the defense of a very unlikely young ex-marine, who is obviously being framed for the murder of his fiancée. The only two actors worth mentioning, the two lawyers, go trough the case until the verdict; Then, a rapid - and very unwelcome - change of pace leads to the fast and amateurish end of the film.

The Trial is the very essence of a film that can be missed - it has no redeeming qualities, and although not horrible per se, there is absolutely nothing to keep you interested. Not the kind of rubbish that makes you change the channel, but certainly not something you might want to rent or buy.

4/10

decent but uninvolved acting, recycled script with no conclusion, boring music, and so-so production. Avoid.

Surprisingly good!

[daumas · 8/10 · 11 July 2012]

Surprisingly good movie with Mat Modine.

Some people said it's a religious movie but it's not as much others I've seen lately. Except for some dialogs between Mac and the psychiatrist, there's no more of that.

The plot is kind of predictable but much better than several of the current courtroom dramas we see in the theaters or TV.

The movie has very good acting with some exceptions but those don't compromise the movie itself. Very touching, with some twists and some suspense in the end.

I would recommend for my friends.

Decent movie:

[caveb-99096 · 7/10 · 2 June 2020]

This isn't a spine tingling psychological thriller, this is about an attorney, who has suffered a personal tragedy, is called out of retirement to take a case.

As his investigator, his brother-in-law, his legal assistant, and him work through the particulars of the case, eventually he rights the wrongs.

I wouldn't pay money to see this in the theater, however, it was a good watch.

Yawn...Has it finished yet?

[scattiee-1 · 2/10 · 8 November 2010]

How on earth did this get an IMDb rating of 8.7! I had to check a couple of time to make sure that: 1. I had watched the same flick as the other reviewers 2. I hadn't fallen asleep and woken up on a Sunday afternoon in 1980 3. My fondue had not been stolen for the plot and 4. That I hadn't missed a guest appearance from Columbo! I love a good "easy watch" film but this was just boring. I feel the storyline was weak, not knowing whether to follow the tales of woe about the lawyer or the trial of the boy with neither being strong enough to carry the film. The only good thing I can say was that the cast were well suited to the film (although that's like being told you were a good swimmer when everyone else round you are doing the Doggy Paddle) and it made me crave a cheese sandwich. I'm off to cleanse myself with an episode of Perry Mason!

Strong theist message, discreetly clad--

[rjfields · 4/10 · 11 November 2010]

If you are a 'believer' in need of having your faith reinforced by an attractive medium, then this is your movie. Family friendly, violence-free, tranquil 'To-Kill-a-Mockingbird' small-town setting and warm musical score, it's all there. And you will probably not be too distracted by the thin, worn and predictable plot and the inconsistent editing. As far as the acting, perhaps the actors and actresses involved gave as much of their talent as was possible. That I don't really feel qualified to assess. But having been a trial attorney myself, as with every film featuring a criminal trial, I'm interested in whatever nuances the writers will bring not only to the climactic jury delivery (there were, to be sure, some insightful words in that respect), but also to the attorneys' stress, preparation, investigation, planning, questioning, etc. And that is where for me the movie fails, in that in its subtle eagerness to put across its god-centered message, it ignores the gaping insufficiencies in the substance of the trial itself. No defense attorney with a conscience and a capable intellect would ever come to a murder trial as ill-prepared as Modine's character. In the film-makers' defense, it was obvious in several of the courtroom scenes and exchanges, that the novelist and/or scriptwriter did have some legal consultation during the project, but it simply was overborne by the inevitable tendency of artists to create somewhat of an alchemist's solution rather than expend the effort necessary to fashion a more richly atmospheric, suspenseful tale. For the latter, and without the theism, try "The Verdict" starring Paul Newman.

Perhaps my chief 'criticism' of this film, however, is in its deception-by-omission marketing. Certainly there is nothing objectionable about making a family-friendly movie. Many studios do a wonderful job of doing so, and I too have had enough of blood, gore, car chases, superheroes and CGI to last a lifetime. But this film is more than just a vehicle for family entertainment. It is a film that you would expect to see in a church or religious setting, not in a general public distribution. If you are skeptical that this film's central message is advocacy for a theistically-centered life, be mindful near the end of the credits which inform you that for more information about the 'themes' in the movie, visit www.refuge.net. Doing so will dispel any doubt.

Not a bad courtroom drama

[paul-ayres-60784 · 6/10 · 6 September 2018]

The story is quite solid. A young man is accused of murdering his girlfriend but he has a loss of memory and can't provide any evidence to the contrary. All the odds are stacked against him escaping the death penalty. Mathew Modine plays his defence lawyer but he has a few obstacles in his way due to the death of his wife and sons which brings him to the brink of suicide. I don't want to go into the story any deeper and spoil it for the rest of you but there are a few surprises in the following proceedings. The acting is pretty strong and the plot keeps the viewer's interest. It's not too drawn out and perhaps the courtroom scenes could have been a bit more in depth and the personal life story scenes a bit shorter. All in all a worthwhile flick. I enjoyed it anyway.

Should come with warning

[desolationtango · 1/10 · 11 December 2010]

This movie should come with a label warning the viewer that the only people who will enjoy it will also enjoy sitting through a two hour church service with no singing and no suspense, while they listen to their pastor summarize his previous 20 sermons.

What has happened to Matthew Modine? This is not the same actor I saw in Full Metal Jacket or Vision Quest.

There should also be a warning that nothing in the movie will have anything in common with a real trial. I could have done a better closing in my sleep.

I'm embarrassed I watched it. I could have spent the evening cutting my wrists and letting the blood out one drop every 15 minutes. It would have been much more interesting. The movie is as dull as my review.

A interesting story

[davyd-02237 · 6/10 · 21 October 2019]

However, if you happen to see this on any "God" channel, there is very little within the film about God or even Jesus. The acting isn't great, the plot is actually the best part as its pretty clear the defendant isn't actually guilty. Bob Gunson is thoroughly as the prosecuting lawyer and there are several very unlikeable characters who clearly will only tell the truth as and when it suits them, especially the "chief villain" when it becomes clear as to his identify. IF you do like a film with very little violence, no foul language or blasphemy then this is well worth watching as it tells the story of a "down on his luck" lawyer pitted with a defendant who equally hasn't got much going for himself. The good guys do win, but only just. In short another one of those "evil" trying to triumph over "good" but losing movies!

Perry Mason TV Drama With a Christian Message

[lavatch · 1/10 · 3 May 2017]

This film must be counted among the worst courtroom dramas ever filmed. Typically, the eyewitness testimony and the lawyers' summations are riveting. In this case, the viewer desperately wants the court scenes to end to get back to the main crime investigation.

Matthew Modine is the down-on-his-luck attorney, who was closed to suicide after the tragic death of his wife and children in an auto accident. The legal case serves as his "comeback" from depression, as he seeks an innocent verdict for a fine, young man who has been falsely accused of killing his girlfriend.

As the trial winds down, the viewer begins to recognize that the subtext of the film is retailing a Christian message that has to do with the theme of "life." The trial drags on with the closing arguments, then deliberations of the jury for a sentencing. The film's big "payoff" scene comes after the trial has concluded and we finally learn who is the real villain. SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS: In a nearly comic scene in the defense attorney's office, the villain turns out to be a psychiatrist, who has a fondness for drugging his victims, prior to killing them. By this point, the film has lapsed into comedy.

The best thing to say about the trial is that it appears on Amazon Prime for FREE!

Enjoyable

[fmwongmd · 6/10 · 12 August 2020]

Enjoyable and entertaining but there something's that don't add up.

We were deceived - you know your about to see a religious sponsored movie when the first shot is of the Ten Commandments

[dmarcus-57064 · 1/10 · 26 February 2017]

The acting and story line in this film were just awful! It didn't make any sense at all and had no relationship to a real trial. This is all about teaching you about God and faith (not in itself bad, but if you have to be tricked into watching a movie about faith and religion, you know its not going to be worth your time).

You'll catch on quickly when the credits refer to the www.theRefuge.net at the end.

Spend your time doing anything at all besides watching this movie!

Movie about a murder Trial in a small Georgia town

[layers-848-530779 · 9/10 · 18 September 2010]

Matthew Modine (Mac) is very believable as a retired Attorney who because of personal circumstances has reached the end of his rope and sees no options. The murder of a wealthy man's daughter becomes an opportunity to make a difference in someone else's life. He is forced by the local Judge to represent the boyfriend accused of the murder. The evidence appears to be damning. During his preparation for trial on the Defendants behalf his old legal team help him to see life in a different perspective. The question is whether the Trial will result in further depression over his circumstance or will it be a catalyst for hope? Along the way there are some unexpected turns. Bob Gunton is the State Prosecutor who is aggressively going after the death penalty for Mac's client. Robert Forster is excellent as Mac's investigator and Nikki DeLoatch plays a spunky paralegal with a fun side. Danny Vinson is hilarious as a witness to crucial evidence in the Trial. This was a entertaining film with a message of hope for those who are grief stricken in life.

Worse movie we've seen lately.

[damcmillan-619-297871 · 1/10 · 12 May 2020]

This was a very predictable story, bad acting, slow and boring. Cant imagine how it pulled 3 stars!

Don't worry about a Spoiler on this one.

[firts22 · 1/10 · 13 December 2010]

This is my first review ever here on IMDb. Probably my last because I am embarrassed I sat thru this entire dish of cold pablum.

A few of the reviews above here almost make the movie worth knowing about, like the 20 sermon summary one. {notice I did not say worth watching.....hmm maybe that is an idea, get some the clever user reviews copied onto the "bonus material" on the DVD. Then at least if you rented by mistake or some mean friend sent you as a gift...you'd have something to enjoy}

oh heck the IMDb says I must have at least 10 lines in my review...gad how can one say even 10 words in support of this piece of drivel, let alone 10 lines? I really hope you avoid this one..OK OK it may not be that bad...it is just your basic ZERO..

=== = = = I have to stop now and go enjoy some cheese whiz for excitement. = = = == =

90 minutes of Matthew Modine looking sad

[Brady-5 · 3/10 · 6 October 2014]

I like courtroom dramas, complete with clever attorneys, plot twists, and surprises. This had all but three of those.

This is a drama about a man trying to deal with his grief ... and it's every bit as boring as that sounds.

Matthew Modine mailed it in, and the rest of the cast were mostly wannabes who will never be based on their appearance in this movie. Robert Forster was the only decent actor in this, and his part was cliché and predictable.

The trial was horribly amateur. Anyone who has watched Law and Order for the past 20 years could point out many courtroom errors and ask valid questions that were never brought out.

Deadly boring

[rhefner2002 · 2/10 · 23 February 2021]

This is a grade B Made-for-TV movie with grade B acting, dialogue, and screenplay. I wish I could say something positive about it, because it seems well-intentioned, but I can't. Matthew Modine is totally bland, although he admittedly doesn't have much to work with. The courtroom scenes are dry and tedious. Not a good thing, when 80 percent of the movie takes place in court. Two stars for Robert Forster as the investigator for the defense. He doesn't have much to work with, either, but he has a good screen presence and he's actually the most believable character.